Schools bring new focus to social-emotional learning

THE ISSUE: Some educators say focusing on social-emotional learning can better prepare students for future success.

THE IMPACT: Nine Massachusetts school districts have joined a new program to develop and implement social-emotional learning strategies in everyday classroom activities.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

Nine Massachusetts school districts are partnering in a new program to help children build the social and emotional base they need to develop skills such as perseverance, empathy, self-awareness and healthy decision-making.

The Excellence through Social-Emotional Learning, or exSEL, network, is intended to help schools better teach students to appropriately navigate social interactions, understand their emotions and be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses in positive ways. Developing children’s social and emotional sides can set them up for future success in life and help them deal with issues such as depression, anxiety and bullying, program participants say.

“The latest research on social-emotional learning focuses on social awareness, self-awareness, relationship-building between students and teachers, responsible decision-making, and self-management,” said Jennifer Poulos, associate director of the Boston-based Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. “The notion is those five skills are shown to have a very strong research base in increasing students’ long-term skills, and when implemented well, can cause a bump on academic achievement as well.”

The participating school districts, chosen from a field of three-dozen applicants, are Brockton, Canton, Fitchburg, Mendon-Upton, Millbury, Milton, Monomoy (Chatham and Harwich), Tri-Town (Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield) and Whitman-Hanson.

“Elements of social-emotional learning are no longer considered the hidden curriculum. It is essential that we intentionally support the acquisition of these important skills, which help to define students’ success beyond their preK-12 educational journey,” said Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, superintendent of Canton Public Schools. “The partners within the exSEL Network bring a level of expertise that will support our growth in the teaching and learning of SEL. We look forward to learning with and from other districts.”

The coalition leading the exSEL project is comprised of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives and the Massachusetts School Administrators Association. Partners providing training and support include the Rennie Center, Transforming Education and Teachers 21.

Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said one purpose of the program is to help educators find the right balance between focusing on academics and focusing on children’s other needs. This came as many school districts began noticing changing demographics and an increased prevalence of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues among students.

“We got into a conversation about how much focus and emphasis we put on the academic side,” he said. “What was happening was a lot of people were saying we’ve lost our way with the needs of children in their social and emotional development.”

In exSEL, participating school districts will develop plans to integrate social and emotional learning into everyday class activities. With younger students, that could include using group projects as a platform to discuss teamwork and appropriate social interactions. In the older grades, students could be encouraged to develop a sense of self-awareness related to potential future career paths.

“In the recently released World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report, the top 10 skills for 2020 and beyond were identified. Beyond what one would expect to see on such a list, the following competencies were also identified: coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, people management, service orientation, and cognitive flexibility,” Scott R. Morrison, Tri-Town School Union superintendent, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that our partnership with the exSEL network will help our students develop these important skills which will prepare them to not only live in the world, but bring them to a level where they are prepared to change it.”

Once the participating school districts develop their local programs and share their findings, the results could be used to create social-emotional learning strategies that could be shared with other school systems across the state.

“What prompted much of this was changes we were observing in schools with respect to how young people were feeling about themselves and managing themselves,” Scott said. “Some of this was the way in which kids see themselves in their academic world, their social world and their emotional-mental-health world.”

Ruth Gilbert-Whitner, superintendent of schools for Whitman-Hanson, said participating in the exSEL network aligns with the pillars of her district’s strategic plan: supporting the development of healthy minds and bodies; developing engaged, successful independent learners; and providing safe and secure schools.

“Our participation will improve our capacity to use academic and behavioral data to design and implement a sustainable system focused on social and emotional learning,” she said.

Superintendent of Brockton Public Schools Kathleen A. Smith said joining the exSEL Network will expand upon existing programs that focus on mental health.

“We are happy to be a part of the exSEL Network and are eager to share the work we have done regarding trauma-sensitive schools,” Smith said. “We are also just as eager to learn what our partner districts are doing with respect to this most critical topic and our hope is we could develop practices that can become models informing policymakers’ decisions at the state level.”

Mendon-Upton schools also hope to build on existing practices.

“Our district has made tremendous in-roads in the past two years in promoting the importance of SEL,” said Mendon-Upton Regional School District Superintendent Joseph Maruszczak. “This work is as equally important as academics are to our students’ future success. We look forward to sharing and learning about best SEL practices.”

Milton Superintendent Mary C. Gormley said a focus on social-emotional learning can set students up for future success.

“Developing the social and emotional intelligence of our students is a priority of mine,” said Gormley said. “ Districts that do this well increase their schools' performance and enhance the life prospects of their students. I'm thrilled that we will be getting support from experts to help us implement a robust program in the Milton Public Schools.”

Monomoy school officials discussed the importance of making children feel safe and supported.

“We are committed to working with administrators, teachers, all other personnel, families, and school committee members to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all students,” said Melissa Maguire, chairwoman of the Monomoy Regional School District’s Social-Emotional Learning Steering Committee. “We believe that when children feel safe and recognized in the classroom and school environment, they can excel academically, socially and emotionally. This provides a foundation for a lifetime of learning and positive contributions to their community. "